Foot Care

Foot Care

It is said that you can have an idea about the hygiene of a person by simply taking a look at his shoes or feet. In fact, the way your feet look can tell the other person much about your personal cleanliness. In other words, we can say that the health of your feet plays a much important role in your overall personality. Thus, it is quite obvious that people want to have beautiful and healthy feet. However, for the purpose, you need to take proper care of your feet, washing and scrubbing them properly, moisturizing them on a regular basis, and so on. At the same time, you need to wear comfortable shoes, which allow your feet to relax and breathe easily. Read on to explore some more foot skin care tips.

Tips For Healthy & Beautiful Feet

• Wash you feet on a daily basis, in lukewarm soapy water. Thereafter, rinse them with cool water, dry with a towel and apply foot cream.
• Whenever you get your feet wet, make sure to dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes.
• The best time to buy shoes is later in the day, when the feet are a bit swollen. The shoes that feel comfortable at that time will surely be comfy at all times of the day.
• If, and when, you go out in the sun wearing sandals, make sure to apply a sunscreen on your feet, just like the rest of your exposed body parts.
• Scrub your feet, especially the heels, with a foot scrubber on a regular basis. It will help remove the dead cells and make you feet softer.
• Before going to bed, wash you feet thoroughly, dry them with a towel and apply moisturizer generously, especially at the heels.
• Whenever you are applying moisturizer or cream on your feet, avoid the area between the toes.
• To keep you feet dry and odor free, make use of products like foot powders, foot sprays and specially designed insoles.

Natural Foot Care

Feet Soak

Supplies Needed

• 1 cup Lemon Juice
• ¼ tsp Cinnamon Powder
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• ¼ cup Milk
• Water
• Tub

Instructions

• Fill a tub with warm water and put the lemon juice, cinnamon powder, olive oil and milk in it. Mix well.
• Put your feet in the tub and let them soak in the water for 10-15 minutes.
• Now, wash your feet with a mild soap, dry them with a towel and apply a foot care cream.

Foot Lotion

Supplies Needed

• 1 tbsp Almond Oil
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Wheat Germ Oil
• 12 drops Eucalyptus Essential/Fragrance Oil
• Bottle (dark-colored)

Instructions

• Take a dark colored bottle and put almond oil, olive oil, wheat germ oil and eucalyptus oil in it.
• Shake the bottle shake extremely well and store in a cool, dry place.
• To use the lotion, just rub it into your feet and heels, after you have cleaned and dried them.

Foot Care Tips

It is true that most of us neglect out feet. Taking care of our feet normally takes a back seat when compared to other beauty treatment. But we need to take care of our feet if we want to stay active and comfortable all through out lives. Taking care of our feet is important as if they do get damaged then a simple job like walking can become a painful exercise. Foot care can be simple and easy. Here are a few simple foot care tips that are not only good for the feet but are relaxing as well.

• Take care of your feet regularly to keep calluses under control. Use a pumice stone or an abrasive foot scrub to remove the dead and rough skin. If this skin is not removed it will become hard and thick and can become cracked and infected making walking difficult.
• Give your feet a foot bath. Put a cup of marbles in the bath water and roll your feet around on top of them to stimulate the nerve endings. Pick up the marbles with your toes, flex and contract your feet and toes and then let go off the marbles. This will allow the arches and muscles of the feet to stretch.
• Get a foot massage once in a while. Ask a loved one to take time off to give you a foot massage. At the same time you can have a foot massage, which is extremely relaxing. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your lotion for a sensational treat for your feet.
• The skin on the soles of your feet does not have any oil glands to soften them. So use a good moisturizer every day. Every night put a generous amount of cream on your feet before you go to bed and then pull on a pair of cotton socks.
• Every time you buy shoes ensure that you get your feet measure. Measure your feet standing and not sitting. The shape of your feet changes with age as a result of the daily pressure and pregnancy. Your feet are likely to expand and lengthen with age.
• Replace your shoes every 6 months as well-worn shoes lose their ability to support your feet properly. This can lead to feet, leg and back fatigue and problems. If your job requires you to be on your feet all day it is best you change your shoes every 6 months.

Foot Exercise

Our body needs exercise to stay healthy and function properly. Foot is also one of the most important parts of our body. It is this part of our body that helps in movement and therefore, demands appropriate care and attention. It absorbs a tremendous amount of pressure the whole day. However, when it comes to exercises, we mostly tend to neglect it. Excessive walking and pressure can lead to the weakening and fatigue of the foot and toe muscles. Performing simple foot exercises can go a long way in building muscle tone, relieving fatigue, preventing cramping, and foot pain. The best exercise for your feet is walking barefoot on green grass. Apart from that, you can practice a number of exercises to strengthen your feet. Some of the beneficial foot exercises have been mentioned below:

Foot Exercises

Foot Stretch
Sit on the floor and keep your legs stretched out in front of you. Now, loop a towel around your feet. While keeping your heels on the floor, pull the towel with both ends, using it to draw the middle of the foot and toes towards the body. Hold the position for 4-5 seconds and slowly come back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.

Ankle Stretch
Stand straight, with your legs pressed together. Now, lift up one of your knees, as high as it is possible for you. Next, flex your ankle back as far as you can. Then, extend your leg forward, pivoting at the knee, and flex the ankle forward as far as you can. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.

Marble Pick-up
Place about 20 marbles on the floor. Try picking up those marble with the help of the fingers of your feet. This exercise provides flexibility to your feet and also helps strengthens it.

Cycling
To strengthen the muscles of your feet, cycling is one of the best exercises. When you indulge in cycling, almost all the muscles of your feet are put to work and get strengthened. It also helps ensure proper blood circulation to your feet.

Toe Pulls
Put a thick rubber band around your toes. Now, try to stretch the foot fingers as far as you can. You can repeat the process for about 10 times. Avoid the exercise in case of any injury in the fingers or toes.

Toe Raises & Toe Curls
Sit on the floor and keep your legs stretched out in front of you. Try to curl the fingers of your feet and raise the heels of feet. Hold the position for about 5 seconds and repeat 4-5 times.

Homemade Foot Scrub

The skin of your feet also needs to be exfoliated and renewed like the skin in any other part of your body. There are different types of foot scrubs that are available in the market today. However, since most of them are quite expensive, people tend to skip them altogether. Do you know that you can make foot scrubs at home also? They are almost as good as the market ones and also cost much less. In order to help you out, we have listed a number of homemade foot scrub recipes in the following lines. After making these foot scrubs, all you have to do is wet your feet, ankles and calf and rub them with it, using circular movements. Thereafter, rinse off with warm water, dry with a towel and apply a moisturizer.

Homemade Foot Pedicure Scrub Recipe

Lime Foot Scrub

Ingredients

• 3 Limes
• 2 tbsp White Sugar
• 1 tbsp Sweet Almond Oil
• 15 Fresh Mint Leaves (chopped)
• 5 drops Lime Essential Oil

Instructions

• Cut the limes into small pieces.
• Put all the lime pieces into a blender and form a pulp.
• Mix the lime pulp with almond oil, mint leaves and essential oil.
• Your lime foot scrub is ready to be used.

Sugar Foot Scrub

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Sugar (white or brown)
• ¼ cup Sweet Almond Oil
• 6 drops Orange Essential Oil
• 1 drop Ginger Essential Oil
• 1 tsp Powdered Cayenne Pepper

Instructions

• Take a plastic bowl and in it, mix together sugar and almond oil.
• Add orange oil and ginger oil and mix well.
• Stir in cayenne pepper as the final ingredient.
• Your sugar foot scrub is ready to be used.

Peppermint Foot Scrub

Ingredients

• 1½ cups Sea Salt
• ¼ cup Sweet Almond Oil
• 2 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
• 3 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Instructions

• In a bowl, combine together sea salt and almond oil.
• The mixture should hold well. If it doesn't and seems dry, add almond oil, by the tablespoon, till you get the desired consistency.
• Add peppermint oil and lavender oil. Mix well.
• Your peppermint foot scrub is ready to be used.

Brown Sugar Foot Scrub

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Ground Oats
• 2 tbsp Aloe Vera Gel
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Almond Oil/ Olive Oil

Instructions

• First of all, you need to grind the oatmeal, in a coffee grinder or food processor, to a sandy consistency.
• In a large bowl, put ground oats and add all the other ingredients. Mix them well, until the mixture resembles a paste.
• Your brown sugar foot scrub is ready to be used.

Natural Foot Care Products

The skin on your feet needs to be taken care of in the same manner as the skin of your face. You need to clean it, exfoliate it and moisturize it like you would any other part of your body. There are a number of foot care products available in the market. But you can make your own natural foot care products at home. These products are simple and easy to make and use naturally available material. Given below are a few simple recipes of natural foot care products.

Lime Cleanser

Ingredients:

• Paper towels
• Lemon juice

Take a bowl and mix half water and half lemon juice. Then dip paper towels into the mixture and apply on to your feet. This will soften, smooth and remove odors from your feet. This recipe does not contain preservatives and requires refrigeration. The shelf life of this product is approximately one week.

Strawberry Foot Exfoliator

Ingredients:

• 8 strawberries
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil or safflower oil
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon finely chopped almonds

Mix all the ingredients together and make a paste of it. Do not blend too much as the strawberries have a lot of water and this will make the paste too watery. Massage it onto your feet, rinse off and dry your feet. This foot care product has no preservatives and has to be refrigerated. Shelf Life is about one week.

Relaxing Foot Lotion Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon almond oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
• 12 drops eucalyptus essential oil or fragrance oil

Put all these ingredients into a dark colored bottle and shake it well. As and when you require rub into the feet and heels. Store in cool dry place. This recipe does not contain preservatives and requires refrigeration. Shelf life is approximately one week.

Make and use these simple natural foot care products at home and they will keep your feet healthy and beautiful.

Hi Shel

I have so many cracks in my foot. I have a small kid who is only one and half years old, so he does not allow me do anything even now he is sitting on me and is not allowing me to type.Is there any easy home made remedy to make my feet softer and also to clear the cracks in my feet. Thanxs in advance.

Sri

Wash your feet and apply any moisturiser daily while going to bed. It'll soften the skin. Also reduce the intake of coffee.

One more grt post from you shel.

Thanks for sharing these nice tips.
BHA

Thank you Behappyalways.

Shel, you inspire and motivate me so much! Just reading them motivates me so much. I am going to follow your tips (hopefully on a regular basis).